I
grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, near seemingly endless steel
mills that lined the Ohio River. These mills poured fiery molten
steel out of huge melting pots and afforded opportunity to many new
immigrants experiencing American freedom for the first time. My
elementary school was next to the UP (United Presbyterian) Church,
and my first-grade teacher also taught Sunday school. We started the
school day with a Psalm, and recited the Pledge of Allegiance with
our hands over our hearts, and we believed in those words. We sang
patriotic songs in class and waved flags and sparklers on the Fourth
of July.

That
feeling of freedom doesn't seem the same in our new environment of
cameras and surveillance. Although the U.S. Supreme Court established
that we have a constitutional right to privacy, the City of Davenport
wants to photograph our travel and activity in the name of safety.
Yet the only comprehensive federal study available through the
Federal Highway Administration cited no conclusive evidence that
camera enforcement reduced accidents. Likewise the City of Davenport
cannot prove with any statistical reliability that these cameras make
you safer.

So
if the cameras don't improve safety, why is the city intent on
bringing them back? The answer can only be money. And the motivation
to bring in more money will make the system grow more intrusive and
burdensome on us all, especially the "have-nots." Let's let our
aldermen know we don't want this. We don't need a tax on our
right to privacy.

David
L. Botsko

Davenport

Palin
Mocked Community Service

As
a longtime Quad Cities community organizer, I take at offense at the
remarks of Sarah Palin and the McCain camp about community organizers
and the lack of job responsibilities or accomplishments of those who
devote their lives to public service and making the community a
better place for all.

Rather
than focusing on how to change the failed Bush/McCain economic
policies of the last eight years, Sarah Palin chose to use her speech
at the Republican convention to launch cynical, negative attacks on
Barack Obama's work as a community organizer. Senator Obama passed
up a big paycheck to work in an economically disadvantaged part of
Chicago where steel plants had closed down. Working with local
churches, he set up a job re-training program that still exists 20
years later. Being paid little and working alongside laid-off
employees is one reason Barack Obama understands what it means to
face the challenges of making ends meet.

From
the beginning of America's history, community organizers have made
good on America's promise by organizing for change from the bottom
up. Serving our country and our communities should be something both
parties support wholeheartedly, but instead Governor Palin prefers to
mock community service. Instead of talking about the issues that are
so critical to our future, the McCain campaign resorts to personal
attacks and name-calling. Please, tell us what you are going to do to
help us with all the challenges that face our country and knock off
the attacks on those who serve the community.

Cathy
Bolkcom

Le
Claire

Say
No to Duopoly

The
problem with the commentary is that it continues the fantasy that all
we have to chose between are Democrats and Republicans. (See
"Republicans: The Party That Should Have Known Better," River
Cities' Reader Issue 701,
September 10-16, 2008.) Most states will have at least three
independent and third-party candidates on the ballot this year. I
personally believe that if you want to vote for what the Republicans
used to stand for, the best vote this year is for Libertarian
candidate Bob Barr. But we can only expect real change if people stop
accepting that they have no choices. A vote for any third-party
candidate this year is better than a vote for the Republicrats or not
voting.

Whichever
McSame wins, bad things are going to happen. Stand up, sheeple! Stop
doing the same thing year after year and expecting the results to be
different. (Einstein, you may recall, defined that as insanity.) Take
a stand. Just say no to the duopoly.